Study Desk

"If a prophet or someone who has dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,

and that sign or wonder he has promised you comes about, but he says, ‘Let us follow other gods,' which you have not known, ‘and let us worship them,'

do not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul.

You must follow the Lord your God and fear Him. You must keep His commands and listen to His voice; you must worship Him and remain faithful^[a] to Him.^(a)

That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has urged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the place of slavery,^(b) to turn you from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to walk. You must purge the evil from you.

"If your brother, the son of your mother,^[b] or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods'—which neither you nor your fathers have known,

any of the gods of the peoples around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other—

you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity,^[c] and do not spare him or shield him.

Instead, you must kill him. Your hand is to be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.^(c)

Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

All Israel will hear and be afraid, and they will no longer do anything evil like this among you.^(d)

"If^(e) you hear it said about one of your cities the Lord your God is giving you to live in,

that wicked men have sprung up among you, led the inhabitants of their city astray, and said, ‘Let us go and worship other gods,' which you have not known,

you are to inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. If the report turns out to be true that this detestable thing has happened among you,

you must strike down the inhabitants of that city with the sword. Completely destroy everyone in it as well as its livestock with the sword.

You are to gather all its spoil in the middle of the city square and completely burn up the city and all its spoil for the Lord your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever; it is not to be rebuilt.

Nothing set apart for destruction is to remain in your hand, so that the Lord will turn from His burning anger and grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers.

This will occur if you obey the Lord your God, keeping all His commands I am giving you today, doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.

"You are sons of the Lord your God;^(a) do not cut yourselves or make a bald spot on your head^[a] on behalf of the dead,^(b)

for you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be His own possession^(c) out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

"You must not eat any detestable thing.

These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,

the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

You may eat any animal that has hooves divided in two and chews the cud.

But among the ones that chew the cud or have divided hooves, you are not to eat these: the camel, the hare, and the hyrax, though they chew the cud, they do not have hooves— they are unclean for you;

and the pig, though it has hooves, it does not chew the cud— it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses.^(d)

"You may eat everything from the water that has fins and scales,

but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales—it is unclean for you.^(e)

"You may eat every clean bird,

but these are the ones you may not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,

¹³the kite, any kind of falcon,^[b]

every kind of raven,

¹⁵the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,

the little owl, the long-eared owl, the white owl,

¹⁷the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant,

¹⁸the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.^[c](f)

All winged insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten.

But you may eat every clean flying creature.^(g)

"You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to a temporary resident living within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

"Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields.

You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of Yahweh your God at the place where He chooses to have His name dwell,^(h) so that you will always learn to fear⁽ⁱ⁾ the Lord your God.

But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far away from you and since the Lord your God has blessed you,

then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the Lord your God chooses.

You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your family.

Do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.^(j)

"At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your gates.

Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come, eat, and be satisfied.^(k) And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.^(l)